Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary With Us!
It’s our 10th anniversary, and we’re celebrating with a very special print edition. The new issue of The East Nashvillian is now available at street boxes and other regular distribution points! And if you’re looking for an east-centric last-minute gift for your friends, family, or colleagues, we have just the thing! Check out our gift basket, which includes something sweet, something savory, something to keep you awake, and something to keep around for a while. Order one here. Shipping is free!
Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee Expands Food Program
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee (BGCMT) recently expanded its food distribution programs so no child, teen, or parent goes hungry this holiday season. Launched in October, Club Fresh seeks to provide healthy and nutritious food while also promoting and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Free boxes of fresh produce for youth and families are now being distributed in both Davidson and Williamson Counties and on weekends at the Andrew Jackson Clubhouse (916 16th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37208), the Chadwell Clubhouse (321 Port Drive, Madison, TN, 37115), the Cleveland Park Clubhouse (610 Vernon Winfrey Ave., Nashville, TN 37207), the Eagle View Clubhouse (1470 Eagle View Boulevard, Antioch, TN 37013), the Fairview Clubhouse (1814 Fairview Blvd., Fairview, TN 37062), and the Franklin Clubhouse (129 Fowlkes Street, Suite 1000, Franklin, TN 37064). Community members can pick up food boxes at these locations, regardless of income levels or whether they have a child enrolled in Boys & Girls Clubs.
Full details, and information on how to support BGCMT and Club Fresh, can be found at the BGCMT website.
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Lightning 100 Asks For Help
The folks at WRLT started a fundraiser recently call Save Our Airwaves in an effort to offset lost revenue. A statement on their webpage states: “We’ve become accustomed to lending a hand to our neighbors, and yet due to the ongoing pandemic, this is the reality of the situation: Lightning 100 is in jeopardy of closing its doors if we can’t generate a substantial cash infusion to offset our lost revenue.”
They’re seeking $250,000, which they believe will sustain them until the local economy gets back to normal in late 2021. Lightning 100 has graced the Nashville airwaves at 100.1 on the FM dial since 1990 and has been fundamental to Nashville’s music scene ever since. The independent, locally owned and operated station stands as an outlier in these days of consolidation by the radio oligarchies.
The portals for both direct, one-time donations, as well as subscriptions, can be found at lightning100.com. Read our 2016 profile of long-time Lightning 100 DJ the Reverend Keith Coes here.
“God’s Table” Raises Funds For The Little Pantry That Could
If you’re looking for a more direct way to provide food for those in need, The Little Pantry That Could might be right up your alley. It’s a food bank in North Nashville giving folks hassle-free access to free essential foods and canned goods.
Frequent contributor Tommy Womack teamed with Lisa Oliver Gray and Bill Lloyd to write “God’s Table” with the goal to spread awareness of how there are a whopping 360,000 Nashvillians who suffer from food insecurity.
The project became a “We Are the World” type of fundraising effort and features guest vocalists John Hiatt, Gretchen Peters, Marshall Chapman, Mary Gauthier, Kevin Gordon, Webb Wilder, Peter Cooper, Tim Carroll, Lisa Oliver Gray, Amelia White, Kristi Rose, and Tommy Womack. The musicians are Emmylou Harris’s band: Will Kimbrough, Chris Donahue, and Bryan Owings, plus Fats Kaplin from Jack White’s band. It was produced by Brad Jones and videography by Stacie Huckeba.
Furloughed Orchestra Musicians, Nashville Symphony Reach Agreement
After more than three months of negotiations, the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, have reached an agreement that will provide the musicians of the Nashville Symphony with a monthly interim stipend to begin Jan. 3, 2021.
On July 1, 2020, the Nashville Symphony announced extended furloughs of all Nashville Symphony musicians due to financial losses as a result of the pandemic. The loss in revenue has topped $10 million according to Nashville Symphony President & CEO Alan D. Valentine.
The new agreement provides musicians with a $500 weekly stipend along with providing health insurance benefits for the duration of the agreement, which ends July 31, 2021. The musicians commit to participating in community performances and other activities to be determined in collaboration with the orchestra’s administrative staff.
For status updates and more on the Nashville Symphony, visit nashvillesymphony.org.
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Have a “Blues” Christmas!
Are you desperately seeking out a “Blues” Christmas? Then our buddy Ted Drozdowski has the thing for you. Check out the just-reissued “My Christmas Wish” single, originally released by Ted’s previous band Scissormen in December 2018. Listen to it on youtube, and purchase your very own copy through teddrozdowski.com, where you can also purchase the recently released live album, Still Among the Living, from Ted’s current band, Coyote Motel — recorded onstage at The 5 Spot in February 2020.
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United Way of Greater Nashville and the Tennessee Titans Huddle for a Good Cause
United Way of Greater Nashville and the Tennessee Titans are offering an exclusive, post-season Q&A with Titans safety Kevin Byard to all donors who contribute $100 or more through December 31. “Voice of the Titans,” Mike Keith and Amie Wells of Titans All Access will host the special event, with questions submitted by donors via Zoom’s chat feature for Byard to answer in real-time.
With workplace donations much lower and greater assistance required by families due to the ongoing pandemic, the United Way has sought partnerships with several local businesses to attract donations. “The Titans are doing everything we can to spread the word about how we can help our neighbors in need,” Jenneen Kaufman, board chair of United Way of Greater Nashville and senior vice president/CFO of the Tennessee Titans says. “This is the time for Titans fans to step up, like you always do, to support your community. We know that, together, we can raise the much-needed funds so that every person in our community thrives. We know that, no matter what, united we win.”
For more information and to make a donation, visit unitedwaygreaternashville.org/year-end-giving.
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More Ways to Give This Holiday Season!
A reminder that the 104th Annual Fannie Battle Caroling for Kids is running through December 24. This major fundraiser for Fannie Battle’s mission of combating poverty and building better futures for children has been an annual tradition since 1916, and this year’s event is going virtual. For more info, visit the Caroling for Kids webpage.
Also, The Turnip Truck is giving customers the opportunity to add to their totals and donate to Nashville Tree Conservation Corps and its mission to replace trees downed by tornadoes. The fundraising campaign runs through December 31. For more information on the NTCC and its efforts visit nashvilletreeconservationcorps.org.
Quick Bits
- Amazon announced a $2.25 million donation this week to local nonprofit The Housing Fund for financial grants to mortgage companies and the Metro government to help ensure that low- and moderate-income families preserve homeownership. For more information and to apply for assistance visit, The Housing Fund online.
- The former Roxy Theater at 827 Meridian St. Is once again posted for lease. Originally built in 1914 as a pharmacy, and converted to a neighborhood movie theater in 1937, the Roxy has been the focus of several proposed restoration efforts in recent years, including a 2018 effort to convert it into a music venue and restaurant. More info on the property can be found here.
- Three Nashville-area apartment complexes — Crossings at East Nashville, Crossings at Madison, and Flats at Nolensville — were recently purchased by Austin-based GVA Real Estate for $55.25 million. The combined properties include 475 units.
